Redeeming the Time

Okay, that’s an old joke and it isn’t very funny anymore, at least not to me. I don’t need to toss my clock to see time fly; I merely need to stand still and watch it zip past.

I remember starting school each September with one pressing question on my mind: how many days till Christmas vacation? When we returned to classes in January, all I wanted to know was how many days till Easter break? In both cases, as I sat in the classroom, time seemed to stand still.

Not anymore. I don’t know how or when it happened, but I can start out on a Monday, blink, and find it’s Saturday. Or turn the calendar to October and suddenly discover myself facing November. I have to resist the urge to look little children in the eye and tell them to stop wishing they were older or wanting time to pass. I find myself agreeing with George Bernard Shaw when he said, “Youth is wasted on the young.”

Maybe I’m a little more sensitive to the passing of time as I look at today’s date and realize Christmas is a mere seven weeks away. But I have a choice. I can obsess about time careening past like a runaway train or I can be intentional about how I spend the minutes I have.

Of course, we all need time to rest and re-energize, but I cringe at how much time I’ve wasted when I could have been doing more meaningful things. As our culture slips further and further away from accountability to the Creator of the universe, time is running out. I want to look back at the end of my days and know I didn’t squander the opportunities I was given to make a difference for the cause of Christ.

It’s not always about doing big things. Making a difference, moment by moment, could be as simple as sharing a smile or passing along a word of encouragement. It could be as easy as offering to pray for someone enduring heartache or taking a meal to a family in need. As I develop those relationships, I’ll also have opportunities to share the love of God expressed for us in the sacrifice of Christ.

I love how the apostle Paul phrased it:

“See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16 NKJV).

Time may be flying by, but I intend to use it wisely. Will you redeem the time with me?

About Ava Pennington

Ava Pennington is thoroughly enjoying her second career as an author, teacher, and speaker.
She moved from New York to Florida, leaving a twenty-year corporate career as a Human Resources executive. But don’t call her retired! She now teaches a weekly, interdenominational Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) class of 300+ women from September through May.
Of course, Ava writes. She has written for organizations such as Focus on the Family, Christianity Today, and Haven Ministries. She has also been published in 25 anthologies, including nineteen Chicken Soup for the Soul books.
Her newest book, Daily Reflections on the Names of God: A Devotional, is published by Revell Books and endorsed by Kay Arthur, founder of Precepts International.
Ava has also co-authored two children’s picture books, Do You Love Me More? and Will I See You Today?
If you’re looking for a speaker, she delights in challenging audiences with relevant, enjoyable presentations.
For more information, please visit www.AvaWrites.com.

Lovely post, Ava. (And I’m with you – I really don’t need to throw that clock either to see time fly. How can it be November already!? Oh yes, and in the classroom, time always stood still for me too!) Thank you for the reminders to take time to enjoy today and to use it wisely for God.